Welcome to Episode 1 of Cantina Decks, our series of thematic budget decks for Star Wars Unlimited!

We have a dedicated a lot of space on this site to things like tier lists and competitive reporting. Inside and outside our little bubble, there’s a ton of resources out there for players looking for the best of the best competitive decks. But we know that’s not always what the doctor ordered. There’s actually lots of reasons why you may want something a little more down to earth.

What if you want decks that are…

• More suited to the power level at your local store?
• Not super expensive to build?
• More approachable to pilot?
• Better suited as teaching decks?
• Ready to rumble for casual games?

We think those are all perfectly reasonable things for all SWU players to want every now and again. Maybe you’re in the market for those kinds of things and you didn’t even realize it! Whatever your reasons, your friends the GarbageRollers have a solution…the Cantina Deck!

What’s A Cantina Deck?

Cantina Decks are a set of decks that are meant to be built together, and are made under a few different restrictions in service of one goal: to help players engage with Star Wars Unlimited.

Cantina Decks are for everybody. For newer players, they’re great first steps into constructed gameplay, and for veterans, they’re easy to throw together and keep around for casual games. As for the specifics, all Cantina Decks share a few guidelines that make them what they are:

• They have no Legendary cards, making them cheaper to build.
• Mostly consistent card divisions, with about 12 events and 12 space units in each deck, to make them easier to pilot.
• A solid power level, because you never know what you’ll face if you find yourself in a wretched hive of scum and villainy.
• They’re internally balanced, so you can safely bash them together and expect to have some fun games.
• They’re a set, meant to be built together and covering all four aspects on both the Hero and Villain sides.
• A thematic name, like someone you’d find in a real Star Wars cantina!

Cantina decks won’t always be perfect- it’s hard to know for sure how strong they’ll be overall, or to catch every matchup discrepancy. You should feel free to get in touch if you notice something out of whack. But as a general rule, these decks are all aiming to do the fundamentals of the game well, and you should be able to effectively use them as dueling decks or teaching tools!

So now that you know what a Cantina Deck is, it’s time to look at the ones we’ve come up with for Spark of Rebellion, Star Wars Unlimited’s first set. Without further adieu, here’s who’s shown up to the Cantina today…

THE OVERSEER

Deck Link: https://swudb.com/deck/view/RmDNYXRrkfdSj

Never losing their distinctive Imperial garb even after hours, the Overseer is the the picture of discipline, making sure nothing they might need to know about escapes their keen ears.

The Overseer wants to dominate the battlefield through superior firepower! They’re aiming to play a slightly slower game, controlling the enemy’s units with potent removal options and good trades, thanks to Krennic’s buff to damaged units. Careful strikes from the Energy Conversion Lab, especially with Krennic’s signature Death Troopers and the Steadfast Battalion, set up boardstates that overwhelm the opponent. At the top end, Gladiator Star Destroyers and the calm dominance of Count Dooku push your growing army to the finish line.

Unlike some decks that can ramp resources, the Overseer is less about building up to huge cards and more oriented towards accelerating the point where you can start reliably playing two cards a round. Krennic also loves units with lots of health, which is why we’re rocking cards like Entrenched, TIE Advanced, Gideon Hask, and General Veers.

Purchasing Notes: I probably don’t have to tell you this, but if you pull any Darth Vader, he slots right in. All Set 1 Villain/Green decks benefit from the big man.

THE BLOODHOUND

Deck Link: https://swudb.com/deck/view/dInFNLAbMsLL

Eyeing his prey from a carefully chosen spot at the bar, nobody stays hidden if the Bloodhound wants them found!

This more aggressive flavor of villain deck is all about utilizing Boba’s resource advantage to end the hunt before your opponent knows it’s begun! Strong, high attack early plays like Death Star Stormtrooper and Greedo can put your target on the back foot early, taking up enough attention to let you land some staples like 7th Fleet Defender and Fifth Brother. You’ve got all the tools necessary to be aggressive and counter the enemy’s moves, handling their biggest threats with staple removal like Force Choke, Waylay, and No Good To Me Dead. Capitalize on that early advantage with two powerful closers in the sky- Ruthless Raider and the unmistakable Fett’s Firespray.

The balance of removal to aggression is important in this deck, and it’s important to observe when you have good trades available. You can hit hard, but sometimes it’s more prudent to use those hits to take out an enemy unit, especially if it lets Boba get some resources back to play another card!

Purchasing Notes: Fett’s Firespray is a little pricy at the moment, but worth it, as it goes into every Boba deck forever and is essential. And it goes without saying- if you’re fortunate enough to have snagged a Legendary Boba, he fits like a glove here. Good luck with your pulls!

THE REBEL

Deck Link: https://swudb.com/deck/view/jxKwtdmAHnxl

Raising a toast to his friends, and if need be, a blade in their defense, there is no better ally in the galaxy than Luke Skywalker, the Rebel!

Luke’s shield is one of the coolest Leader abilities in the entire game, making every unit in his deck a potential bear to remove! It’s especially potent with high ceiling units like Alliance Dispatcher, bringing in other units cheaper, and Echo Base Defender, with its huge attack value. Luke wants to utilize those shields and his Force-traited units to control the battlefield as he builds up to his deploy, where the party really starts.

Luke’s shields can take over the game- make sure to have him protected (such as with Obi-Wan Kenobi!) so that his attacks can trigger as often as possible. At the top end, you’ll want to use your potent events, such as U-Wing Reinforcement, Rebel Assault, and The Force Is With Me, to close things out.

Purchasing Notes: Hero/Blue’s deck was tough, as so much of the color’s power is centered around the man himself, Legendary Luke. U-Wing works great in his absence as a closer, but really, you’d want to run both, so be sure to throw him in if you pull any!

THE REVOLUTIONARY

Deck Link: https://swudb.com/deck/view/EHBTnhwb

Driven by visions of a better galaxy, the Revolutionary burns brightly, an audience of amazed onlookers looking on as they raise a glass to a brighter tomorrow…no matter what it takes.

This is a very aggressive deck indeed, but it’s not all burn all the time! You have some key control tools, such as Heroic Sacrifice, Shoot First, and Princess Leia, that can surgically remove the biggest threats to your new regime. When you’re not under immediate threat from something that plans to cause long term issues, the name of the game is to smack base as efficiently as you can, using key reach options like Fleet Lieutenant, K-2S0, and Red Three to keep the heat on.

Jedha City may seem like a weird fit at first, but it’s there to strategically neuter an opponent’s best option for removing your biggest threat. Timed well, it can let you squeeze in a ton more damage than you would have otherwise. Close the game with a well-timed Guerrilla Attack Pod, Surprise Strike, or your specialty, For A Cause I Believe In. You have a lot of different ways to get the math you need to close out the game.

Purchasing Notes: At the time of this writing, this one barely qualifies as a budget deck, thanks to the very inflated pricing of Sabine’s best rares- K-2S0, Red Three, and For A Cause I Believe In. We’re optimistic that rares won’t be a huge barrier to pricing for Cantina Decks in the long term, but for the moment, they very much are. We recommend swapping in some comparable options if your pulls weren’t very lucky or price is a barrier- we like Dodonna in for K-2, Disabling Fang Fighter in for Red Three, and Medal Ceremony as an alternative reach option over FACIBI. The deck is definitely not as good without those powerhouse rares, but for the moment, they’re definitely too expensive to not list some alternatives. Also, if you pull any Falcons, Sabine Yellow loves ’em.

Kickstart Your Collection

If you’ll forgive us, we hope this collection of characters adds some additional character to your collection!

SWU is a game with infinite expressions available to its players, and these are just a few of our favorite ways to put some decks together. We hope you have fun with them, but more than that, we hope they inspire you to build your own. And be sure to give us your feedback on these, since we’re sure to be back at it again with more Cantina Decks for Set 2, Shadows of the Galaxy!

In the meantime, keep your wits about you. You never know what unsavory sorts you might stumble across at your local cantina…

May the force be with you!